Getting started in visual arts...
Visual arts careers include the traditional fine arts (painting, drawing and sculpture) and newer art forms like photography and filmmaking.
Figures from Creative & Cultural Skills show that more than 32,000 people are employed in the visual arts sector in the UK. These include artists, curators, academics, marketers and sales specialists.
According to a report from freelance writer Debra Savage for visual artists' networking website a-n, most artists have 'a single career that comprises a portfolio of jobs; additional activities such as lecturing, curating, commissions or part-time employment that are used to supplement the income derived from making work'.
Skills
Creativity is by far the most important skill required to be a successful artist. Although training can help them appreciate things like light, colour and balance, most people with thriving careers in the visual arts world have this understanding already.
In the modern world, it is also essential for artists to have sound financial planning and business acumen.
'The dominant images of bohemian artists accepting a life of struggle for the sake of their work, or con-artists duping public bodies into paying for lavish jokes, still control the perception of what it means to be an 'artist',' explained Ms Savage in her 2006 report.
She added: 'The idea of an entrepreneurial artist, adapting to encompass new roles in order to make a living and further their practice is often hidden by the necessity and desire to promote the creative aspects of the job.'
Qualifications
The type and level of qualifications required to start a career in the visual arts depends on the area of the sector the candidate is interested in ― and there are many different combinations of qualifications that can arise.
For example, a painter might undertake a fine art degree to learn more about the theoretical aspects of art and then do a postgraduate degree, while an arts marketer may have a marketing qualification and then opt to undertake a short course to boost his or her arts knowledge.
Most colleges, universities and training providers offer some arts-related courses and degrees, which can be found on the UCAS website. There are also specialist universities that focus solely on the sector, such as the Royal College of Art, the only wholly postgraduate art and design university in the world.
Gaining experience
Artists usually spend many years trying to establish themselves and make their work known. As Ms Savage notes, it is during this time that they take up alternative employment to fund their lifestyle.
But it is important to keep producing work in order to maintain creative skills and to ensure that there is a steady stream of creations to add to a portfolio. This can be done by working on one's own in a studio or by undertaking a residency.
According to Res Artis, the International Association of Residential Arts Centres, such a programme 'allows an artist to investigate his/her art practice by involvement in another community [and] emphasises the importance of meaningful cultural exchange and dialogue with another culture'.
The Dutch organisation, which is the world's largest art residency network, added: 'In many cases residencies provide artists with their first extended visit to a host country, often a radical departure from their own culture. A residency can open doors and create opportunities for the artist to build on in future visits.'
Further information:
Debra Savage's report
http://www.a-n.co.uk/research/article/330452
Royal College of Art
http://www.rca.ac.uk/
Res Artis
http://www.resartis.org/
Creative & Cultural Skills
http://www.ccskills.org.uk/
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